Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1887-02-25

"Ihe mental and physical disability spoken
Pension Bureau, and includes every impair
ment of bodily or mental strength and vigor.
For such disabilities there are now paid 13l
SOD ler month. This disability must not be
the result OF the applicants vicious habits or
gross carelessness. Practically this provision
mentto escape the payment OF a pension on
such q plea would, of course. in D. very large
majority OF instances, and regardless of the
would be that strange but nearly universal will
ingness to help the individual, as between him
and the public treasury, which goes very far to
alhe disability of applicants must be such as
70 lIcapacitate them for the performance Of
~ labor In such q degree as to render them unable
there Is no limitation or definition Of the inca-
pacitating injury or ailmont itself. It need only
be such q degree of disability from any cause
as renders'the claimant unable to earn a sup
port by labor. ltseems to me that the support
here mentioned as one which cannot be earned
i inn u complete aa sea and y entire At .s support. with, no dim.
physical or mental condition. II It had been
amended to embrace only those who by disease
Or injury were totally unable to labor, it would,
have been very easy to express, that idea. In
stead OF recognizing, rs it has. done, a degree:
OF such inability.
What is a s,pportp Who 10, to. determine
whether u man earns. it, or he's or hash not?
Is the Government to enter the hom es Of claim
ants for pensions and aftor an examination Of
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those questions2 Shall the Government say to
one man that his manner Of; subsistence by his
earnings is q support, d.to another that the
t.hings his earnings furnish is not a supportP
ANY attempt. however honest, to administer
this law in such manner would necessarily pro-
auce moro unfairness and unjust discrimina-
ton. and give more scope for partisan partiali-.
", and would result in more perversion. of the
governments benevolent intentions than the
execution OF any statute ought to permit.
IL, in the effort to carry outthe proposed law,
she degree OF disability as related to earnings
be considered for the purpose OF discovering il.
in any way, itcurtails the support which tho ap-.
plichnt,, II entirely sound. would earn, and to
which he is entitled, we enter the broad. field
long occupied by the Pension Burenu, and we.
recognize as the only difference between the
proposed Legislation and previous laws passed,
ler the benefit Of the surviving soldiers of the
civil war the inourrence in,one case of disabili-.
ties in military service, and i'll the other disa-
bilittes existing but in no way connected with
or resulting from such service:
1t must be borne in.mind, that in no, case is
1 tfnder t ths og grading Of ot TIL this Pr, Proposed pose pension
II there is q lack in any degree, great or small,
OF the nbility to- learn such a support. as the gov
eminent determines the claimant should have.
and by the application of the rule secondly sug-
gested, if there is a reduction in, any degree Of
the support which he might earn il sound, he.is
entitled to q pension'of Sl2.
In the latter case, and under the, provision Of
the proposed bill permitting persons now receiv--
ing pensions to be admitted to the. benefits of
the act, lido not sec how those row on; the. pen.
sion roll for disabilities incurred in the service.
and which diminish their earning capacity, can
be denied the pension provided in,this bill.
"Of course none will apply who are now re-
ceiving 81 or more per month. But on June
30, 1886, there were on, the pension rolls 2O2.62
persons who were receiving tifty-eight different
rates of pension, from 81 to Sits per month.
OF these %, 142 were receiving 50 per month,
63, 1l6 81 per month, 37,24 S. per month, and,
SOFIA whose disabilities, were rated at g per
month.
"As to the meaning of the section of the, bill
under consideration there appears to have been.
quite q difference OF opinion among its, advocates
in the Congress. The Chairman of tho Com
mittee on Pensions in the House Of Representa-
tives. who reported the bill, declared that there
was In it no provision for psns:oning any one
who has a loss disability than a total disability
to labor, and that it was O. charity measure.
The Chairman of the Committee on Pensions
in the Senate, having charge Of the bill in that
body, dissentcd from the constructions of the bill
announced in the House of Representatives., aud
declared that it not only embraced all soldiers
totally disabled, but in his JUDGMENT all who
such n construction was substantially given to
the bill by another distinguished Senator, who,
MS a former Secretary. of the Interior. had
imposed upon him the duty of executing pen.
sion laws and determining their intent and
meaning.
Another condition required of claimants un.
der this act is that they shall be dependent
upon their daily labor for support. This Inn
gunge, which may be said to assume that there
exists within the reach of the persons men
toned labor or tho ability in some, degree tt
work, is more APPLY used i'll O statute describ.
ing those not wholly deprived of this ability
than in one which deals with those utterly un
able to work.
II am of tho opinion that it may fairly be- con-
tended that under the provisions OF this section
any soldier whose faculties OF mind or body
have become impaired by accident, disease, or
age. irrespective of his service in the army az q
cause, and'who by his labor only is left incapa.
bic OF gaining the tair support he might with
unimpaired powers have provided for himself,
aud who is not so we'll endowed with this world
goods rs to live without work, may claim to. Par.
ticipate in its bounty; that it is not required
that labor should be.necessary to his support in
some degree, nor ia it required that he should
be now receiving support from others.
believing tn 8 to be the proper Interpretation
Of ths bill, L cannot but remember that the
soldiers of our civil war in their pay aud
bounty received such compensation for military
SO vice as has never been received by soldiers
before since mankind went to- war that never
before, on behalf Of any soldiers, have SO many
lieve against the incidents Of var; that stat.
utes have BEEN passed giving them . prefer
ence in all public employlnents; that the
really needy and homeless Union soldiers
Of the rebellion have been, to q large
extent provided for at soldiers homes, insti-
tuted and supported by the Government, where
they are maintained together. free from the
sense Of degradation which attaches to the
usual. support Of charity, ana that never before
in the history Of the country has it been pro-
support Of any OF its soldiers based aione upon
a milit .ry service 30 recent, and where age and
circumstances appeared 80 little to demand
such aid.
"Hitherto such relief has been granted to sur.
viving soldiers. few in number, venerable in
age, after a long lapse of time since their mill
tary service, and as q parting benefaction
rendered by a grateful people. I cannot be;
lieve that the vast peaceful army of Union
sold ers who, having contentedly resumed theil
place in the ordinary avocations Of life, cherish
as sacred the memory Of patriotic service. OF
who. having been disabled by the casualties Of
war, justly regard the present pension roll, or
which appear their names, as a roll of honor
desire ut this time and in the pres mt EFFICIENCY
to be COMPOUNDED with those who. through such
q bill as this, are willing tosbe objects Of simply
charity and to gain a place upon the pensior
roll through alleged dependence.
Recent personal observation and experience
oonstrain me to refer to another result which
will inevitably follow the passage OF this bill
It is sad. but neyertheless true, that already in
the matter OF procuring pensions there exists q
Widespread disregard Of truth aud good faith
stimulated by those who as AGENTS undertake t.
establish claims for pensions. heedlessly on.
tered upon by the expectant beneficiary, and
encouraged. OF. at least not condomnedxby those
unwilling to obstruct q neighbours plans. -
In the execution Of this proposed nAw, under
any Interpretation, a wide field of inqairy would
be opened for the establishment Of facts Target,
within the knowledge OF the claimants alone
and there can be no doubt that tho race aftel
the pensions offered by this bill would not only
stimulate weakness and pretended incapacis,
for labor, but put a further premium on dis